SUBMITTED: Saturday, April 30, 2005
POSTED: Saturday, April 30, 2005
Company Report
Company Report Details
Focus
315 South Beverly Drive #302
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
Contact: Francesca De Tolomei
Phone: (310) 712-9999
Company
Rating
F
Rating Explanation:
The rating the Better Business Bureau assigns a business is determined by our composite score of such factors as its type of business, length of time in business, compliance ...
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Company Profile
DBA: Focus
Other DBAs: Focus
Visionaire
Visionare
Visionary
Visionary Media
Visionary Productions
Address: 315 South Beverly Drive #302
Beverly Hills, CA 90212 Other Addresses: 315 South Beverly Drive #302
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
Primary Phone: (310) 712-9999 Other Phone Numbers: (310) 712-9999
(310) 551-4192
(310) 712-9965
Primary Fax: (310) 854-0674 Other Fax Numbers: (310) 854-0674
Primary Contact: Francesca De Tolomei
Other Contacts: Francesca De Tolomei
Email:
Michael Sholto
Email:
Theingi Cossar
Owner
Email:
Annemarie Scarpa
Owner
Email:
E-Mail Address:
Website: Other Websites:
Company ID: 13130845
Business Start Date: 2/1/2000
BBB Created Record on: 2/29/2000
Nature of Business:
This company's business is offering photography services for the purpose of talent submission services and is a marketing company that offers assistance in establishing models and talents careers.
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Bureau Membership
Join Date:
This company is not a member of the Better Business Bureau. This fact does not disparage the company in any way.
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Licensing and Bonding Information
California law requires any company that procures or offers to procure employment or auditions, or that provides artist management services, direction or counseling to develop an artist's career, for any of which they collect a fee in advance, to post a $10,000 bond. Companies that charge in advance for such services as registering or listing the artist for employment, providing photographs, videotapes, other promotional materials, costumes, lessons or training, or auditions are also considered advance fee talent services and subject to this bonding requirement.
To obtain bonding information, write to the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, Department of Industrial Relations, Legal Section, at P.O. Box 420603, San Francisco, CA 94142 or call (415) 703-4846. The website address is www.dir.ca.gov.
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BBB Comments and Analysis
These companies advertise for talent with ads that imply that by responding you will have started on your road to stardom. If you answer an ad, they will often tell you outright that they will help you obtain acting or modeling employment. The catch is that everyone who responds needs lessons or training to go before a camera or down a runway, they say. This training is really what these companies are selling, and their courses can obligate you for thousands of dollars. In reality, they cannot guarantee you employment, and you will not find such a guarantee in their written contract.
California law contains certain requirements of advance-fee talent services and prohibitions against certain practices. If the company promises you auditions or employment, or if they even ask you for a fee in advance, a talent service is considered to come under the provisions of this law. Under the law, they are not allowed to charge you, for example, to provide photographs, filmstrips, audition tapes or videotapes, lessons or training.
By law, you are entitled to a refund of anything you pay to an advance-fee talent agency if you do not receive the services you were led to believe would be performed. The refund is to be made with 48 hours of your request for it.
Additionally, you have the right to cancel your contract with the agency for any reason within 10 business days of the date of the contract. If you cancel, your payment is to be returned within 10 business days.
If your written contract does not inform you of your right to a refund or to cancel, you may demand your refund or cancel your contract at any time, without regard to these time limits. If your money is not returned within the 48 hours or 10 days, respectively, the company is required to refund double your money.
Despite the law's protections, if you are not dealing with a reputable talent service, you may find it difficult to enforce your rights.
On July 21, 2004, we verified that this company is not licensed with the Industrial Relations Board as a talent agency.
It appears this company is currently being operated by past principals of Glamour Models, Michael Douglas Sholto and Francesca De'Tolomei. Although it remains unclear if either of the above mentioned individuals have any ownership interests in the company, current complaint activity would suggest they act as management for both Visionaire and Visionaire Photography. Similar complaints have been received on both companies. A separate report for Glamour Models is available upon request.
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Complaint Closing Statistics
The following grid displays the number and responses to complaints over the last 36 months:
No. of Cmpl Type of Response
1 Making a full refund, as the consumer requested
0 Making a partial refund
3 Agreeing to perform according to their contract
1 Refusing to make an adjustment
0 Refuse to adjust, relying on terms of agreement
3 Unanswered
0 Unassigned
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Complaint Experience
Some customers state after paying fees for photography services, or representation they received the run around, listings, or no payment was received. Others allege the company overcharged for photo packages, services were not provided after the company represented they could market the customer to agents, or the customer was not aware the $100 deposit was not refundable upon cancelling a photo shoot since the contract was not cancelled within three days. One customer claims Spectrum collected a fee for representation and then indicated a photo shoot was required. This customer reports after paying the $125 non refundable deposit to book a shoot, the photographer offered vague answers for the cost of zed cards, head shots, and portfolio pictures and proceeded to read a list of casting calls and jobs. This customer also claims the company employee would meet in a private room every time a question related to money.The company responds to complaints by issuing credits, stating they fixed the problem, offering explanations, or indicating they could not locate the customer's record in their files. The company contends they are licensed and bonded. In other cases, the company responds by stating the customer received a contract and could get the pictures anywhere, explained that they needed the negatives to proceed, or indicated the client never signed an agreement or paid for services.
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Government Actions
We know of no government action taken against this company.
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Advertising Review
No question about the truth of this company's advertising has come to our attention.
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Other Considerations
We know of no other matter or practice relating to this company that may assist you in your consideration of this company.
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THIS COMPANY IS NOT A LICENSED TALENT AGENCY IN CALIFORNIA OR ANY OTHER STATE.
"F" RATING************* BEWARE!!!